Clapotis

My mini-clapotis is slowly but surely growing. I enjoy dropping the stitches (ha - I'm easily amused) so I knit at least one section each time I sit down to work on it to get to a dropped stitch.





I've probably knit at least 15 more rows since this was taken.

Oh, and the flowers were felted over the weekend but are still not dry yet. (It's been very humid here. I actually think the official word is "muggy". My hair is one big frizzball.) Hopefully they will dry sometime this week so I can finish them up. I came across this pattern for felted roses at the Berroco site - love them! I might have to make some of these as well!

Late to the Party

I’ve started a clapotis for myself this week. I’m only what, 2 or 3 years behind the trend on this one?

It is actually going to be a mini-clapotis, since I am using one skein of Cherry Tree Hill DK Merino in the Monet colorway which I received as a Christmas gift last year.

I originally wanted to do a simple fan and feather lace pattern to show of the colors in the yarn. I started at least 4 times using different numbers of stitches and different size needles but it just didn’t look like I imagined. I remember clapotis and how I wanted to try a small, scarf sized version and thought this yarn would be perfect for it.






You can kind of see the twisted columns where stitches will be dropped later. I’ve having fun with this project so far, but I’m not much of a scarf knitter and I think a DK weight scarf has to potential to become boring and forgotten before I finish! Hopefully dropping the stitches will keep me entertained.

Sunflowers in Your Room

I finished knitting the Sunflower kit from Pick Up Sticks. It took a little longer than I expected since it was lot more fiddly than the other two flowers. Each petal had to be picked up, knit, and then tacked down separately. Once I got those down it was a breeze, though.

Hopefully I will be able to felt all three flowers either tomorrow or Friday, since I am going to be out of town this weekend.

And I haven't been able to look at the darn thing without the Everclear song "Sunflowers" running through my head.

Flowers

I have been in the mood to work on small, non-sock projects lately. I am trying to work my way though the stash of yarn that has accumulated in my apartment, so it’s good that I am actually finishing things! It’s not that I mind having a stash, it’s just that some of the yarn has been sitting there for way too long, and I can never convince myself to buy anything new since there is “so much” already. I suppose I don’t have as much as some other people, but I would feel better if it was less. (Everything except the sock yarn fits in one of those long “under bed” boxes and two canvas baskets on my bookshelf. The sock yarn, well, I think it must procreate in closet while I’m at work. Enough for about 20 pairs!)

I finished a few dishcloths, and have about 5 more balls of cotton left for more.





I also am working on the felted flower kits I bought last year at Stitches Midwest. (Really want to finish all of my purchases from last year before I go back this year!) These kits are from Pick Up Sticks and I have the Daffodil, Calla Lily, and Sunflower. I think they have about 5 more flower types that I would like to buy this year to add to the set.





I am hoping to finish the Sunflower and felt them on Sunday.



more flowers in my kitchen

Finished Project: Shedir Hat

Shedir is done! This is probably the most enjoyable pattern I have knit in a while. It makes me think that I should try cables more often.





Pattern: Shedir from Knitty
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, color #463 (interestingly named Calmer as well), just slightly less than 1 ball. (I had about 5 yards left)
Needles: size 3 16" circulars and dpns

Towards the end I was very concerned that I was going to run out of yarn. I was even plotting how I could beg, borrow, or steal a few more yards without having to buy another ball or ripping out and knitting at a tighter gauge. But the decreases came quickly at the end and I was very relieved to have much more yarn left then I could have imagined. The only other time things got a little sticky (literally) was when I had to switch to dpn's, as I only had a set of birch needles in the correct size. The cotton on wood was a little difficult to manage but I didn't want to wait until I could but another pair to finish!

I think one reason I had so much fun knitting this, rather than frustration at all of the cable crossings, is that I didn't use a cable needle as the pattern calls for. I actually can't imagine using one for all of those two stitch twists; it would very rapidly take the fun out of the whole thing. There are good instructions on how to cable without a cable needle at Wendy's site, Grumperina's, and Bagatell ("Techniques with Theresa" from Knitty). It is not as difficult as it might first appear and totally worth the time to learn in my opinion.